Charles shoettle



(No ModeL) K 9 G. S'HOBTTLE.

- LAMP EXTINGUISHERAND'WIOK TRIMMER."

No. 499,398. Patented June 13, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

CHARLES SHOETTLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN SAUTER, OF SAME PLACE.

LAMP-EXTINGUISHER AND WlCK-TR|MMER.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,398, dated June13, 1893.

Application filed December 8, 1892. $erial No. 464,454. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES SHOETTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Lamp- Extinguisher and VVick-Trimmer, which is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purposes of'this invention are to provide means for preventing accident in the use and handling of oil lamps by causing them to be automatically extinguished whenever they are tipped, and before the oil can flow from them by such tipping, and also to extinguish them in case of a fall causing the lamp to be broken, and, secondarily, to provide means for easily and evenly trimming the wick of such lamps, and to afford a gage for trimming when the wick is to be trimmed below the charred portion In the drawings Figure l is an elevation of a lamp and burner having my invention applied to it, the dome and chimney support being cut away by a vertical section through the middle, to disclose the parts which pertain to the invention. Fig. 2 is-an elevation of the same looking edgewise at the wick showing the lamp tilted sufficiently to bring the extinguisher into operation. Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the burner showing it tilted in a direction at right angles to that of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an elevation of a burner in the same position as that shown in Fig. 1, looking side wise at the wick tube. Fig. 5 is a plan ofthe burner in the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the burner at the line 6 6 on Fig. 5. v The burner to which I have shown my invention as applied is of familiar form, comprising the usual wick tube A, the threaded hub 13 for attachment to the lamp, the perforated basket 0, and requiring for its operation the dome D, which is provided with the usual chimney-retaining flange D.

For the purpose of my invention I provlde two wings F F, which, when folded together,

constitutea hood completely inclosing the upper end of the wick tube and extending far enough above the latter to inclose also the portion of the wick which protrudes when the lamp is burning full. These two wings are pivoted at the edges of the wick tube, preferably upon small brackets E E, which are secured in any convenient manner so as to be rigid with the wick tube. I have used them in the manner in which they are shown in the drawings; that is, made rigid with the basket 0. Both wings are mounted upon the same pivots and these pivots should be at a distance of half an inch to an inch below the top of the wick tube. The purpose of these wings is to close overthe wick and thereby extinguish the light, and also by the same movement, when the wick is to be'trimmed, to cut off the charred upper portion automatically as they close, or to furnish a gage by which the wick may be trimmed with shears. The chief purpose of the invention being the lautoma tic extinguishment of the light when the lamp is tilted,-the.prinoipal means for folding the wings together about the wick tube is adopted for this purpose. Said means consist in the yoke G, made of wire, which extends in the form of a yoke or loop around the wick tube, and is sufficiently larger than the latter to adapt it to encompass also the wings F F, and by sliding upward to fold said wings together in the manner desired. The yoke or loop G has a' stem H, which extends down through the basket close alongside the wick tube and through the hub B, terminating in theoil chamber. The lower end of this stem H is provided with a horizontal disk H, and to the burner projecting from the lower side of the hub B, I secure a small bracket J, of wire, terminating horizontally in an eye J.

K is a weight pendent on the end of a stem K, which extends up through the eye J, the weight being below the eye, and is provided with a globular enlargement K above the eye, and adapted to seat therein, forming with theeye a universal joint of the nature of a ball and socket joint. To the stem K, above the ball K there is secured a horizontal circular disk K This disk K faces the disk H and if separated from it at all when the lamp and all the parts are in normal position it should be by a slight distance only. It will be seen that when the lamp is tilted so that the stem K of the weight K is caused, by the action of gravity upon the latter tending to keep the weight vertically suspended below the universal joint J K to tilt the stem and the disk K relatively to the disk H, in whatever direction this tilting occurs the circumference of the disk K coming in contact with the under surface of the disk II causes said disk K to act as a lever arm or cam to force upward the disk H and its stem, and thereby the yoke or loop G, which, moving upward along the wick tube, will fold the wings F F together and extinguish the light. The distance between the two disks K and II will be made such relatively to the radius of the disk K as to cause the device to extinguish the light before the lamp has tilted enough to permit oil to escape. The stem II is enlarged at it near the lower end to form a valve which seats in the under side of the aperture through the hub B, through which the stem extends upward to its connection with the loop or yoke G, this enlargement being made in such position that it seats in said aperture and closes it when the stem is pushed upward sufiiciently to fold the wings together and extinguish the light, and before the lamp is sufficiently tilted to permit the oil to reach said aperture; and by this means the oil is prevented from flowing through the aperture provided for the stem H even after the lamp has been tipped over, so that the only leakage which will occur in such a case will be that which takes place around or through the wick within the wick tube. It will be seen that in view of the formation of the stem H with the valve enlargement 71, above described, it is necessary to insert said stem upward into its place, and therefore the loop Gis necessarily attached to the stem after it is thus inserted, and for this purpose I make the loop G with a rudimentarystem G,which is adapted tobe inserted down into the upper end of the stem H after the latter is in place; and both for this purpose and for another purpose, which is hereinafter explained, said stem II is made tubular. The loop G being of wire, the rudimentary stem G, made by a fold in the wire, will have a natural tendency to spread elastically so that it will grip tightly in the tubular stem H in which it is inserted and cause the loop to be held firmly in place without any further contrivance for that purose. p By making the stem 11 tubular it serves as the ventilating tube from the oil chamber, dispensing with any other device for that purpose, but in order that at the same time it may not constitute a duct through which the oil may flow out when the lamp is tipped over, I close it at the lower end, as shown in the drawings, but make an aperture h into it just above the valve enlargement 7L, and another aperture or apertures h at any convenient point above the hub and within the upper and lower perforated walls of the basket. The lower aperture 72/ is below the hub and opens into the oil chamber when the lamp is in normal position so that vapor from the oil may pass into that aperture up through the tubular stem and out at the aperture 7L2, be-

ing then carried with the natural draft up alongside the flame and consumed, as in the ordinary operation of ventilating tubes, but when the lamp is tipped over and the valve enlargement h becomes seated the aperture h is above that seat and access into the lamp chamber is cut off.

In order that the wick may not in any case, however long it may be, interfere with the weight K and prevent it from swinging freely as it ought to produce the result described, I provide a wick-holder L, which is a wire loop projecting from the under side of the hub B, down and side ward away from the weight K, and the wick is passed through this loop and thereby held aside in all cases to leave a clear space in which the weight may swing unimpeded.

In order to adapt the same device to be used for voluntary extinguishment of the light and trimming of the wick, I pivot a small lever M to the stem H between the upper and lower perforated walls of the basket, extending it out through the basket, and permitting it to fulcrum upon the basket wall at the point where it penetrates the latter. The outer end of this lever being depressed will throw up the inner end and carry up the stem II and cause the wings to fold together and extinguish the light, and, the pressure being removed, the weight of the wings and of the other parts connected will cause them to unfold again. It is convenient to pivot the lever M to the stem II at two of the ventilating apertures 7L2, or,in other words, to utilize the apertures made for the pivot as ventilating apertures, and I have employed that construction.

The wings F F in their normal position unfolded I find are of some advantage in directing the draft currents through the dome, and, in tending to prevent a too directly upward draft, which might elongate the flame instead of properly spreading it. It will be seen by reference to the drawings that the draft currents will be turned outward from the wick tube by the inclined diverging wings and will be directed against the overhanging concave surfaces of the dome, and by the latter directed inward from opposite sides, and this is the most desirable course of the currents and the one which it is the purpose of the shape of the dome to produce, and which will to some extent be produced by the usual shape of the dome itself, but this result is assisted and made more certain by the presence of the di- IIO verging wings F F, so that they are not only no impediment to the lamp in its ordinary proper operation but are an actual assistance.

In case of neglect of the lamp wick, causing it to beincrusted at the upper end with a hardened cinder like substance, this incrustation will usually extend farther than the original surfaces of the wick and overhang the edges of the wick tube to a considerable extent, and if the wings F F were arranged to fold up flat against the sides of the wick tube their complete closing together would be prevented by such an incrustation at the end of the wick protruding beyond the surfaces of the wick tube. In order, therefore, to insure the complete closing of the wings, even under such circumstances, I make them wide enough to allow for the maximum impediment of this sort, and in order that notwithstanding the fact that they are thus considerably wider than the thickness of the wick tube they may nevertheless completely shut ed the access of vapor under them to the upper edge of the wick, I strike inward a bead F on the lower margin of each wing deep enough so that it will come into contact with the side of the wick tube when the edges of the wings are in contact; that is, are closed together over the end of the same. The same movement by which the light is extinguished voluntarily by use of the lever M serves to trim the wick, to the extent of removing the charred i ncrustation which forms upon the end thereof, the wick being turned up just far enough so that the wings as they close together will nip off the incrustation leaving the unburned wick clean within the hood. This mode of trimming a lamp wick is usually better than shearing oif the wick where it is unburned, but if for any reason it is desired to cut the wick below the charred portion the wings F F folded together by use of the lever M afford a perfect gage by which the cutting may be done.

For the purpose of removing the charred portion in trimming no especial accuracy in adjustment of the wick to the edge of the wings is necessary; on the contrary, the wick being turned up so that the portion to be trimmed is entirely above the position occupied by the wings when folded, and the wings being then folded by means of the lever M and held in that position while the wick is turned down, the wings will scrape the surfaces of the wick until the charred line is reached and then will nip 06 the charred portion accurately so that the wick may be accurately trimmed in the dark.

This device not only serves as a means for extinguishing the lamp in case of accident, but may be used as a means of voluntaryextinguishment of suspended lamps, which cannot be conveniently reached by the hand to operate the lever M, the breadth of the disks K H, and the length of the stem K, being so proportioned that a change of a few degrees from vertical position of the lamp will operate the extinguishers. Pendent lamps and chandeliers comprising any number of lamps may be entirely extinguished at one movement by swinging the lamp or chandeextinguisher serves also as a ventilating tube from the oil chamber, substantially as se forth.

2. In combination with the wick tube, a

flame extinguisher adapted to operate therewith, means for operating the same comprising a stem which extends downward into the oil chainber,a gravity operated device in the oil chamber adaptedto actuate said stem up-' ward, the stem having a valve enlargement which seats in and closes the aperture through which said stem extends into the oil chamber when the stem is pushed upward, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the wick tube and aflame extinguisher adapted to operate therewith, means for operating said extinguisher comprising a tubular stem extending'downward into the oil chamber, and a gravity operated device in the oil chamber adapted to actuate the stem upward when the lamp is tilted, said stem being closed at its lower end and having a valve enlargement above said end adapted to seat upwardly in and close the aperture through which the stem protrudes into the oil chamber, said tubular stem having an aperture leading into it above said valve enlargement, and communicating freely at its upper part with the air, whereby it constitutes a ventilating duct from the oil chamber and a valve to close the same when the lamp is tilted, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with the wick tube, a flame extinguisher comprising the wings F F, pivoted at the edges of the wick tube at a short distance below the top, and adapted'to.

fold together against the sides of the tube, the loop or yoke G adapted to fold the wings together by upward sliding movement about them, said loop having the stem H extending downward and suitably guided on the burner, the lever M connected pivotally to said stem and fulcrumed on the burner and protruding therefrom, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In combination with the wick tube, the wings adapted to fold together about it and constitute an extinguishing hood, said wings my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, being adapted to inolose a space a little at Chicago, Illinois, this 2d (lay of December, 10 greater in thickness than the wick.tube, and 1892.

being provided with the bead F struck inv i A 5 ward to contact the surfaces of the wick tube CHARLES SHOETTLE when the wings are folded together, substan- Witnesses: tially as set forth. CHAS. S. BURTON, In testimony whereof I have hereunto set JOHN SAUTTER. 

